Generally, fluid-pumping systems utilize a high pressure pump, such as a displacement pump or reciprocating piston pump, to force or flow fluid through said system. One such fluid pumping system is a homogenization system which employs a high pressure pump or homogenizer.
Homogenization is a process utilized within the food industry, where it is employed for size reduction of the fat globules in the product being processed and thereby preventing separation of the fat from the rest of the product. Almost all consumer milk and many food products are homogenized today. The use of the homogenization process within the food industry entails that extremely stringent demands on hygiene are placed on not only the homogenizers but also on all ancillary equipment.
During industrial processes such homogenization, the flow of product oftentimes pulsates as said pressure pulsations are known to oftentimes occur in fluids being pumped by reciprocating-piston pumps or the like. Such pulsations are known to occur even if pumps with multiple pistons having staggered cycles are used to pump fluids into common lines. Accordingly, in order to avoid the risk to the pump and ancillary equipment from said pulsations, such systems are oftentimes provided with dampeners. For example, pulsation dampeners are often times utilized to suppress or dampen such pulsations.
In its simplest form, a pulsation dampener consists of at least one partly air-filled upright tube in fluid communication with the piston pump. Many homogenizer systems available on the market employ such pulsation dampeners. Oftentimes the systems position the dampeners on both the suction side and the pressure side of the piston pump or reciprocating pump.
Typically, while the pulsation dampeners are successful in dampening, they are not designed for being cleaned in place (CIP), i.e., for being cleaned without disassembly. Rather, such pulsation dampeners have interior regions where products can collect, so as to form contaminants in subsequent operations with different products. Moreover, such pulsation dampeners cannot be easily disassembled for inspection, cleaning, sterilization or repair.
Current dampening systems have other drawbacks. As said dampener systems are in operation, the air entrapped in the upright tube will, in due course, be “consumed” by the product flow. Oftentimes it is not possible to replenish air while the system is in operation, but it has instead it is necessary to shut down the system, which entails both time loss and the loss of product. Requirements on higher output capacities and longer running times, for example within the food industry, as well as the use of higher pressure within the systems require that the pulsation dampeners will attain far too short an operational running time. The air in the upright tubes is consumed rapidly and production stoppages become necessary.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a pulsation dampener that operates efficiently in high pressure environments. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a pulsation dampener which can easily be cleaned utilizing the industrial process's CIP system, i.e., cleaned without being disassembled, or with minimal disassembly.